Office of Research, Measurement and Evaluation
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN POLICY AND PRACTICE IN EDUCATION
The Office of Research, Measurement, & Evaluation (ORME) at the University of Arkansas was created in 1998 by Dr. Sean Mulvenon, Director, and Dr. Ronna Turner, Associate Director, for the purpose of conducting targeted educational research, consistent with the mission of the university as a land grant academic institution. Since ORME's inception, its graduate students and faculty have developed partnerships with local educational agencies, state departments of education, local community groups, and faculty of other programs at the University of Arkansas. Past collaborative activities have included educational database development, management, and analysis; data assessment and analysis training; academic accountability model development; program and project evaluation; and theoretical research in the fields of education, statistics, and measurement.
In 2003, Dr. Mulvenon secured legislative appropriations funding for the National Office of Research, Measurement, & Evaluation Systems (NORMES) which resulted in the development of a national office focused on large-scale database and systems analysis development for use by educators in Arkansas and other participating states for the purpose of conducting data-driven decision-making to facilitate academic reform.
